Storage battery.



PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. .J. P. WOOD.

STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLIOATIOH FILED MAR. 14, 1904.

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INVENTUH LLIITNEEEEE w L? W WW p H mm M A NITED STATES PatentedSeptember 13, 1904.

JAMES P. WVOOD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

STORAGE BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,975, datedSeptember 13, 1904.

Application filed March 14, 1904. Serial No. 198,088. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES P. WOOD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage Batteries; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the-invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in storage batteries, and moreparticularly to an improved arrangement of the positive and negativeplates of the battery.

The objects of my invention are broadly to simplify the construction ofparts, thereby increasing their efiiciency and durability, andspecifically to effect a radical movement in the form and arrangement ofthe positive and negative plates, whereby their assemblage in operativeposition and their separate and collective removal for renewal or repairare greatly facilitated, the necessity of separating-plates,insulating-rods, and supports within the cell, all now in common use,being eliminated and the present practice of burning or soldering aconnecting-strip to the plates being entirely done away with.

My invention consists of certain details of construction and arrangementof parts, all of which will be more particularly hereinafter described,and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is an end elevation showing my improvedarrangement of plates within the cell. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of oneof the positive plates, the upper suspending portion being a sectiontaken in the line as x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one ofthe negative plates, showing the suspending-orifice. Fig. 4 is amodified form of the suspending-orifice shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is afragmentary portion of a section taken through one of the plates.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the cell. (Shown in section in Fig. l,in which figure is also shown in end elevation my improved plates andtheir novel arrangement.) In such figure,2 2 are the shorter or positivelead plates, and 3 3 are the-longer or negative lead plates, the twodifferent plates being shown detached in side elevation in Figs. 2 and3. The positive plates 2 are each provided at their upper ends with thecentral lug 4, provided with a central aperture 5, adapted for the snugreception of the rigid metallic support 6, preferably in the form of acylindrical brass rod, which holds the plates 2 in central suspension,as shown. These plates 2 are uniformly spaced and held in such positionupon the rod 6 by the intermediate insulating-bearings 7and the endinsulating-bearings 8, which envelop and rest snugly upon the leadcollars 9, surrounding the brass rod 6. These insulating-bearings arepreferably formed of wood properly treated with a suitable coating andfilling. These lead collars 9 extend slightly beyond the ends of theinsulating-bearings, so that when the lead plates 2 are tightened inspaced position upon the rod 6 by the end nuts 10 the metal of collars 9will be jammed tightly against'the abut-ting plates, thus forming aperfect metallic connection between the several plates 2 during-thecharging or discharging of the same. The outer screw-threaded ends ofthe rod 6 are also provided with the additional nuts 11, between whichand the tightening-nuts 10 may be secured the metallic strips whichconnect the various cells of the battery. The spaced plates 2 thus heldin central suspension may be supported in position in the cell bypermitting the outer insulating-bearings 8 8 to rest upon the upper edgeof the walls of the cell, as shown.

. The longer or negative lead plates 3 are each provided at their upperends with a central lug 12, provided with an elongated central orifice13, and above it is the smaller circular aperture 14, adapted for thereception of the metallic carrier 15, preferably of brass, upon whichthe series of plates 12 are held in uniform spaced position, as shown,by means of the intermediate lead collars 16, which are slightly longerthan the spaces between the plates, thus permitting them to be jammedtightly against such plates when they are secured in rigid position uponthe carrier by the tightening-nuts 17, thus forming a perfect metallicconnection between the sevthe tightening-nuts 17 may be secured themetallic strips which connect the various cells of the battery. Theseries of negative plates 3, rigidly held in spaced position upon thecarrier 15, are arranged in alternation, as shown, with the positiveplates 2 by causing the apertured lugs 12 13 to rest snugly upon theinsulating-bearings 7 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig 4 I have shown a modified form of negative plate 3, in which theorifice 13 has a side opening 19, which permits of the ready insertionor removal of the suspending insulating-bearings into or away from theorifices 13 without necessitating the separate removal of each plate, asrequired with the closed orifice, as shown in Fig. 3, thus greatlyfacilitating the separation or assemblage of parts.

It is apparent from the above description that the separate grouping ofthe two series of plates and their conjunctive arrangement inalternation within the cell possesses marked advantages over the presentwell known forms of storage batteries, as by reason of their rigidcentral spaced suspension the usual separating-plates are entirelydispensed with, together with any supports within the cell, as all thepresent danger of short-circuiting between the plates is entirelyeliminated by reason of their being kept permanently apart as described.During any disintegration of the plates which are immersed in theelectrolyte the detached scales are permitted to fall freely to thebottom of the cell and entirely away from any accidental connectingcontact between the plates, which is at present a troublesome cause ofshort-circuiting. As will be seen,there is no permanent metallicconnection between the plates of the two series in my improvedconstruction. In other words, the parts are separately mounted andtemporarily connected by pressure, thus avoiding the present necessityof burning or soldering a connecting metallic strip to separate lugs onthe plates of the two series. It is apparent that, if desired, thepositive plates may be the longer ones and the negative plates theshorter ones, which would simply amount to a reversal of parts from thatherein shown and described.

The feature of suspending one set of plates upon insulating-bearings onthe other set, which rests upon the Walls of the cell, and thecollective separation of one set of plates from the other possessesmarked advantages over the present mode of arrangement, especially inthe matter of manipulation rendered nec essary for renewal or repair.

I make no claim herein for any specific form of plate involving otherthan its mechanical features, my invention being confined simply toimproved functions arising entirely from anovel arrangement andcombination of parts in a purely-mechanical sense designed for greaterefiiciency of operation and durability and economy of construction.

I claim- 1. In a storage battery, a series of spaced positive plates anda series of spaced negative plates, the two series of plates beingseparately suspended in alternation within the cell, each plate of thetwo series being held in central suspension.

2. In a storage battery, a series of spaced positive plates and a seriesof spaced negative plates, the two series of plates being separatelysuspended in alternation within the cell, each plate of the two seriesbeing held in central rigid suspension.

3. In a storage battery, a series of spaced plates centrally suspendedfrom a rigid support and a series of spaced plates centrally arrangedupon a rigid carrier and centrally suspended upon insulated bearings onthe rigid support of the first series of plates as and for the purposestated.

4:. In astorage battery, a series of plates rigidly and centrallysuspended in spaced position upon a rigid metallic support,insulatingbearings upon the rigid metallic support at each end thereofand between the plates suspended thereon, and a series of plates rigidlysecured in spaced position upon a rigid metallic carrier, each platehaving a central orifice, adapted for the reception of the suspendinginsulating-bearings upon the rigid metallic support, all combined andoperating as and for the purpose stated.

5. Inastorage battery, aseries of plates rigidly suspended in spacedposition upon a rigid metallic support, insulating-bearings upon therigid metallic support at each end thereof and between the platessuspended thereon, and a series of plates rigidly secured in spacedposition upon a rigid metallic carrier, each plate having a centralorifice With open side adapted for the ready insertion and removal ofthe .suspending insulating-bearings upon the rigid metallic support, allcombined and operating as and for the purpose stated.

6. In a storage battery, a series of plates rigidly suspended in spacedposition upon a rigid metallic support, soft-metal collars upon therigid metallic support and intermediate of the plates,insulating-bearings upon the rigid metallic support at each end thereofand between the plates suspended thereon, a series of plates rigidlysecured in spaced position upon a rigid metallic carrier, each platehaving a central IIO orifice adapted for the reception of the susto thisspecification in the presence of two subpending insulating -d bearingsiiilpon lthe rigid scribing Witnesses. metallic support, an soft meta icco lars upon *1 the rigid metallic carrier and Within the insu- JAMEbWOOD 5 lating-bearings, all combined and operating as Witnesses:

and for the purpose stated. ROSELINE F. HIGGINS,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name W. T. MILLER.

